U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,487, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses thrust bearings mounted to the outside of an overrunning clutch.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,309, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a torque converter reactor thrust washer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,788, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses thrust bearings including lubricating grooves formed on a sliding surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,453,439, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a torque converter including a washer for a thrust bearing.
Hydrostatic bearings are known, as described at pages 212-266 of Bearing Design in Machinery: Engineering Tribology and Lubrication (2002). Hydrostatic bearings are not known to be used in torque converters, especially between a stator and an impeller.